5 Best Programming Languages for Kids

The rate at which children handle gadgets in this technology savvy era is quite interesting. The fact they are able to easily operate the gadgets, run programs on it easily shows that they are intrigued by it. We all at a point have come across children who not only enjoy the games or other softwares but have shown interest in asking questions on how the softwares are programmed. One of the best ways of keeping them fascinated is by teaching them programming languages, i.e., coding or by making them write a mini research paper to spur their interest in coding

Computer software, applications and websites applications are developed by using programming language commonly referred to as ‘coding’. Coding is basically the process of giving instructions to our computer to act in certain ways or perform certain tasks. Coding is important for children because it allows them to develop different skills such as problem-solving skill(the breaking down of instructions to the lowest opens up their analytical and logical mind), it also increases their creativity (by opening up their imaginative mind, allows them to creatively improve on other apps they find lacking in a particular aspect, allows them to even create their own app to solve a problem), allows them intelligently have fun rather than wasting time on irrelevances and besides coding is the new cool lucrative means of income.

When it comes to technology, everything is codes and programming. Imagine if you searched for “who can write my research paper for me” on the internet, what gives you your desired result is a function of coding. There are a lot of programming languages that children can learn how to code from at the basic and intermediate level.

5 Best Programming Languages for Kids

1. Scratch

Scratch is a programming language built by MIT’s Lifelong Kindergarten Lab. Scratch is a free programming language that can be used without an online connection for kids who are mostly interested in animations, games, music or arts. It has an interactive online community where kids can connect with other kids and share their developed applications. It uses a building-block visual interface.

Scratch has an interactive and user-friendly interface that naturally attracts children. It also allows a child to freely express his or her creativity to design games or animations from scratch as the name implies. Scratch is suggested for kids within the age bracket of 6-15 years of age. It has a tutorial guide for beginners.

2. Python

Python is regarded as the easiest of programming languages to learn. This is partly because of its basic composition and attention on whitespace. It is said to be named after the comedy series Monthly Python. It is recommended for all age brackets. It is the first stepping stone to increase your child’s interest in coding. To show its usefulness, even Google and Disney make use of it. With python, coding can be used to create video games, numeric computing tasks, web fireworks, etc.

Python delivers like regular language. It rarely requires the use of comments because it functions with Basic English language. Python programming language also has a section for its library where it allows children to further code beyond the basic.

Python teaches children the patience and analytical skill to overcome complexities which would come from one of their strengths later in life.

3. Ruby

Ruby has the most decipherable composition for beginners. Ruby is expressive, intuitive, simple and powerful. Ruby teaches the child to freely express his or herself because it allows them to choose from different methods to solve a problem. Ruby uses blocks and first-class objects. Ruby also has a standard library and an interactive shell. Ruby is concise, well documented (extensive API docs) has an easy to understand the language that does not require extra explanations. With Ruby, the kid gets familiar with programming concepts like variables, loops, object-oriented programming, etc.

4. Lua

Lua is a free, powerful, fast and user-friendly programming language that is easily understood by kids. Lua is popularly used as a scripting language platform by game developers Because of its speed and lightness. Lua is perfect for children who are into game developing at any stage including animations. Lua engages its user by introducing simple concepts while retaining its legibility, clarity, and productivity. Lua also removes the syntax problem that makes coding difficult for kids.

5. Blockly

Blockly is a visual block programming language built on other existing programming languages to help children become experts at coding. Blockly is essentially developed for kids 8 years and above who are learning how to code within the confines of their homes or at school.

Blokly has a “JavaScript library ” feature, a specific UI bearing a resemblance to multi-colored and multi-shaped blocks holding and a toolbox holding the block and bin to write codes in. In operating Blockly, kids remove the blocks from the toolbox one by one and arrange them structurally until the quest is solved. Upon completion, Blockly runs a check up to assess the coding done to check for its errors.

Author Bio

Emma Rundle is a seasoned writer with a wealth of experience in technical writing. She has written as a guest writer for a number of blogs and media channels. Emma also has a bit of experience in coding and programming and ethical hacking which she sometimes does as a hobby.

Comment down below if you know about other best programming languages for kids.